Chapter 117: Meeting an Old Friend

Beneath the corridor opposite Yihong Academy.

Aunt Liu’s face brimmed with relief: “I never expected so many noble guests from the Central Realm to arrive this time. Last night I nearly committed a grave mistake—thankfully, Master Gongsun has such unique tastes.”

“What do you mean? What mistake did you make?” Xiao Yu asked in surprise.

She had been turned away at the door, barely spoken a few words to Old Zou, when the real “Chief Manager” inside sent someone to summon Old Zou back in.

“Master Gongsun is a nobleman from the Central Realm’s Great Qin! When such a noble guest visits our Hongxiu Pavilion, we must assign our finest girls to serve him.”

Last night I was about to send someone to Shouyao at Tianbao House in Monkey Alley.

But Master Gongsun refused without hesitation—he wanted only Jin Lian.

Fortunately, I didn’t press the matter.

Fortunately, Master Gongsun, accustomed to rich meats and fine wines, cared less for the ‘Number One Pure Courtesan of Shudong’ than for Jin Lian, whom he took a fancy to—so Shouyao was spared.

Nobles from the Central Realm are naturally precious.

In past days, if Shouyao had merely charmed one such guest, it would have been a fortune earned over ten lifetimes.

But this time, with one or two thousand arriving, Master Gongsun may be precious—but not the most precious among them.

Shouyao is our Teaching Bureau’s ‘Heavenly Rank’—we can’t just send her out lightly.”

Xiao Yu fell silent, then asked curiously: “Just now I asked Master Gongsun’s guard, Old Zou—he said their party numbered seven or eight hundred. How do you say one or two thousand?”

“Master Gongsun’s group may be seven or eight hundred, but the noble guests from the east aren’t just one group! The total number arriving in the west may exceed ten thousand,” Aunt Liu said.

Xiao Yu gasped: “Ten thousand? What is Great Qin planning? How many men does Marquis Relyang’s Fire Crow Army have?”

Aunt Liu’s expression turned complex: “It’s merely another ‘Western Migration of the Elegant.’”

Many royal houses and great clans of the western states are descendants of Central Realm nobles.

This chaos among the Thirty-Six States has left many thrones and noble titles vacant.”

Xiao Yu mused: “No wonder Old Zou said they were escorting Master Gongsun to take up his post in Xishayu.”

She glanced at Aunt Liu, saw her gloomy expression, and smiled: “The Central Realm Qin nobles come to Xishayu to seize high positions and become lords over others—aren’t you displeased, Auntie?”

Aunt Liu’s face turned pale; she glanced left and right, then whispered fiercely: “Are you trying to get me killed?!”

She reached out with her right hand, aiming to pinch Xiao Yu’s cheek—but Xiao Yu turned her head away.

“Your thoughts are written all over your face. If I don’t ask now, when we meet Master Gongsun, he’s sharp enough to see right through you,” Xiao Yu laughed.

Aunt Liu hurriedly insisted: “No, absolutely no dissatisfaction—I was even planning to introduce Shouyao to Master Gongsun! Isn’t that proof of my loyalty?”

Xiao Yu chuckled: “You yourself said you planned to introduce Sister Shouyao to Master Gongsun because you thought he was the only Central Realm noble arriving.”

But today, after hearing more news—especially that a flood of Central Realm nobles have entered Xishayu—your attitude changed instantly. You’ve become wary and resentful, like a local toward outsiders.”

Even though these outsiders aren’t targeting Xishu, but the Thirty-Six States that once opposed Xishu.

Hmm, this is called ‘The rabbit dies, the fox grieves.’”

“You savage brute, spouting filth and nonsense!” Aunt Liu snapped.

Xiao Yu waved her hand: “Auntie, don’t shout so loud. We were just chatting privately, no one else heard. Now you raise your voice—you’ll draw attention.”

Aunt Liu’s anger flared higher; she opened her mouth to scream louder.

Suddenly Xiao Yu raised her hand and called out: “Old Zou, over here!”

Aunt Liu froze for an instant, then her face twisted into a mask of warm, gentle smiles.

“Miss Yu, Aunt Liu,” Old Zou approached, bowing politely with a warm smile: “The young master has finished washing and dressing. If you still wish to see him, you may enter now.”

Master Gongsun disappointed Xiao Yu.

His appearance was flawless—a handsome young man in his early twenties, tall and well-proportioned.

Compared to the outstanding youths of Tianmen Town, he was refined and elegant, truly a peerless gem.

Yet even he failed to trigger the Purple Mansion’s full operation.

The Purple Mansion barely churned a thought before delivering a direct method of killing him.

A nobleman of the Central Realm—and this is all he is?

Moreover, though Master Gongsun lacked any lewd or decadent air, his speech and manner betrayed a certain frivolity.

He and Jin Lian rose late, so they combined breakfast and dinner. The Hongxiu Pavilion naturally treated Central Realm nobles with utmost diligence.

Dish after dish arrived—not merely several times more lavish than usual, but the highest-tier banquet Hongxiu Pavilion could offer.

Large platters, generous portions, each dish brought hot the moment it was cooked—far more labor-intensive than serving from covered boxes, and exhausting the kitchen.

A brothel isn’t a restaurant; restaurants price every dish plainly.

A brothel doesn’t sell dishes—it sells service.

Food and drink are merely one element of that service.

Generally, the cost of alcohol, overnight stay—all are included in the fee for selecting a girl.

For example, if a patron chooses Jin Lian and pays fifty taels for the night, the wine he drinks, the food he eats, the bed he sleeps on, and his next morning’s breakfast—all follow fixed standards.

The style and flavor may vary, but the value and tier remain nearly constant; portions are kept as small as possible.

If the patron gives Jin Lian extra silver as a tip, she takes a cut, feels pleased, and spends her own money to ask the kitchen to add a dish—pleasing the patron for more tips.

In short, Hongxiu Pavilion sells goods like a supermarket: prices are transparent and fixed. It won’t raise the fee for selecting a girl just because a wealthy patron has more silver.

Unlike a supermarket, however, a large portion of Hongxiu Pavilion’s revenue comes from guest tips.

Master Gongsun chose Jin Lian; theoretically, his payment for her and the meals provided should follow fixed standards.

But now, Jin Lian clearly didn’t add any extra dishes (she’d have to pay herself), yet Hongxiu Pavilion voluntarily served the most lavish banquet for the Central Realm noble.

Hongxiu Pavilion was eager; Jin Lian was even more eager.

While speaking with Xiao Yu and Aunt Liu, Master Gongsun sat upright, composed, smiling, his gaze and expression patient, gentle.

Jin Lian, however, was like a boneless water snake, desperate to coil around him.

She didn’t let him lift his chopsticks—she pressed her face to his, bringing the wine cup to his lips: you sip, I lick my tongue against the rim.

She picked up a steamed fish with her chopsticks, used her mouth to remove the large bones, then offered it to his lips.

Master Gongsun chewed slowly, face filled with pleasure, nodding gently.

He accepted Jin Lian’s flirtations without refusal, responding warmly, regardless of others in the room.

Aunt Liu praised Master Gongsun as free-spirited and elegant; Xiao Yu felt he was nothing but a fool.

Had he possessed even a trace of Immortal Realm power—or prolonged the Purple Mansion’s churn to deduce even one ‘Breaking Enemy Sword Intent’—she might have reluctantly accepted the ‘elegant and unrestrained’ label.

But she now knew his true nature.

Weak, yet loves to play—what else is he but a fool?

Remember, Aunt Liu, who felt ‘The rabbit dies, the fox grieves,’ was merely a native of Xishu—with no direct conflict with the Qin nobles who migrated west.

The real trouble—and even life-or-death threat—for the migrating Qin nobles lies in the western states they’re about to seize!

“I may have misjudged Master Gongsun—he’s not entirely useless. At least he has self-awareness,” Xiao Yu complained to Hong Qu several days later: “He knows his strength is weak. After crossing the Liusha River, he dared not go west at all.”

He stayed hidden in Yihong Academy, indulging in fine wine and beautiful women—his life, at least, was safe.”

These past days, Tianmen Town had been unusually lively.

Even though Xiao Yu never left Hongxiu Pavilion, she’d heard countless new stories about Central Realm nobles from other girls and neighbors in Jiangyou Alley.

Most were positive.

How refined and elegant the Central Realm nobles were, how noble their etiquette, how extraordinary their literary talent.

Yet the Central Realm nobles didn’t linger long in bustling Tianmen Town.

Even brief stops were spent attending high-end banquets, drinking and composing poetry with powerful clans, or testing martial skills.

Xiao Yu wanted to go out and witness Central Realm divine martial arts—but her ‘big sister’ Jin Lian was already taken.

Besides, invitations went only to the highest-tier ‘Famous Courtesans of Shudong.’

Like Shouyao, Hong Wei—courtesans of unmatched beauty and talent.

Of course, most Central Realm nobles didn’t stop at all—they hired carriages the same day, took their retainers and luggage, and headed west toward Luodu.

They were said to be waiting there for the Great Qin Imperial Envoy.

Then they’d journey together to the western states to quell unrest and stabilize the people.

Only Master Gongsun remained utterly still.

“Our Great Jin subjects possess loyal hearts, clear judgment, unyielding pride—we will never let the savage Qin bandits succeed!” Hong Qu spat bitterly.

These past days, she’d been in agony.

Xishu was ‘one of their own’—the Li royal family’s position was rock-solid; no Central Realm noble would come to seize power.

But other western states, especially Hong Qu’s homeland, Xilu, were devastated.

The Xilu royal Ji clan had nearly been exterminated.

And in the ‘Jinyang Massacre,’ it wasn’t just the Ji royal family who died—many noble families tied by marriage to the state perished too.

Including the Kong clan and the other Eight Great Clans—all purged.

Their vacant positions will surely be filled by migrating Qin nobles.

They rebelled against Great Qin—yet their own families were wiped out, their wealth and children seized by Qin people. No wonder Hong Qu was heartbroken.

“You could view this from a higher perspective,” Xiao Yu advised.

“First, haven’t the western states suffered constant demonic disturbances in recent years?”

Now that Qin nobles take power, their own lives and fortunes are at stake—won’t they strive to change the situation?”

Once the demonic threats vanish, the greatest beneficiaries will be ordinary people.

Second, before migrating, they were Central Realm nobles; after migrating, they remain nobles—but no longer Central Realm nobles.

Because they will forever remain in Xishayu, just like today’s Xishu royal family—they become local nobility.

Their identity changes; their stance changes instantly—their attitude toward the western states will be entirely different.

The Marquis of Fiery Sun will raise his blade and kill, kill, kill.

They will strive to win hearts, treat the common people kindly, and cultivate ties with surviving local magnates.

Overall, they will accelerate the healing of the wounds inflicted upon the Western Sands Region by the chaos of the Thirty-Six States.”

Hongqu coldly said: “If they intend to seize your Sha-Man’s Northern Wastelands and make themselves kings of the Sha-Man, do you still think that way?”

Xiao Yu replied helplessly: “Are you out of your mind with anger? If they go to the Northern Wastelands to civilize the Sha-Man, the Sha-Man will be overwhelmed with gratitude.”

“Fengxian, little Fengxian, come out quickly, guests are here!”

Aunt Liu shrieked like a slaughtered pig; her cries carried over the wall into the small courtyard, and after a long while came the loud, frantic pounding on the door.

“Little Fengxian, you little brat, come out—your fortune has arrived!”

Hongqu’s face darkened. “What’s wrong with Liu Sanya? How old are you? How dare you be made to meet guests? And fortune, at that!”

Liu Sanya was not Aunt Liu’s real name.

She was the third daughter in her family, and as a child her parents called her “Third Girl.”

When she was sold to Qingshuiwan, she had no name at all—everyone just called her “Liu San, Liu San.”

Only when Liu San grew older, her features bloomed, and the ugly duckling turned into a little swan, did she earn herself an “art name.”

Aunt Liu’s art name was quite lovely: Liu Ruyi.

The name “Liu Sanya” was known only to the older aunts, who knew but dared not utter it.

It was only because Xiao Yu, curious, asked why Madam Huo and Lady Du called Aunt Liu “Liu San,” that she uncovered the old name “Liu Sanya.”

Xiao Yu learned it, and so did Hongqu, Ziying, and a few other close little girls.

“If Aunt Liu is this agitated, the guest must be a great noble—perhaps even one of those recent, greatly devalued Upper Kingdom nobles.”

Xiao Yu’s reaction, however, was calm; she had not yet been formally introduced to clients, so most visitors came for her sword art.

“Auntie, where is my fortune?”

“It’s a young Daoist priest—rosy lips, white teeth, clear brows and bright eyes—but don’t underestimate him. He’s the Shuiyuan Zi, Chief Clerk of the Qinghe Commandery Prince’s mansion. Even he bows and scrapes to him, doing everything to flatter him. He’s almost certainly a ‘true Upper Kingdom noble.’”

Hmm, lately too many Qin noblemen have crossed the Western Sea; even Upper Kingdom nobles now distinguish between ‘true’ and ‘false.’

“Could the young Daoist be Master Green Pine? Hasn’t he returned to Qin yet?” Xiao Yu exclaimed in surprise.